Someone bought me a betta as a present and he had fin fungus :( need advice.

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Someone bought me a betta as a present and he had fin fungus :( need advice.

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My one friend thought she would be nice and got me a betta in a half gallon vase with bamboo in it but the poor guy (hes a crown tail) had cottony growth on the tip of one fin; I tried keeping the water clean by changing most of it every day but it spread. So I picked up methalyne blue and have him in a 5g bucket now with a half teaspoon of it in there. You have to understand I can't have any other fish tanks so using a filter is out of the question unless I want to get kicked out.

So where do I go from here? leave him in there until the fungus is gone then transfer him back to the regular half gallon vase? How long does it usually take? the cottony fungus is in the early stages so it's not very bad. I never had to deal with anything worse than ich before.

Years ago when I had multiple big tanks I always had a quarantine tank but I no longer have that luxury; I basically have a 5g bucket for that now :/ I'm also really paranoid about somehow it spreading to my main tank because I was using the same equipment for both at first. It wasn't just on the fish's fins the top of the vase looked like a petri dish of fungi.

IMO since you can't have any other tanks your only option is to give him to someone who will provide a proper living environment for him and educate your well meaning friend on why the vase is not a suitable home for fish.

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"Keeping fish for any period of time doesn't make you experienced if you're doing it wrong. What does, is acknowledging those mistakes and learning from them." ~Aeonflame
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In ideal circumstances I think Kingfisher is right. It would be better for the fish to be able to live in his own filtered tank. That's best case.

If it must be done with no filter, you should know it can be done, but it takes work. Many people do it. To really truly give the best situation in this case, make sure he lives in no less than two gallons of water, has a heater, and you should change the water 50% once a week and 100% once a week, perhaps another 50% change in there someplace. Also, the tank should have some hardier plants, like java moss and ferns, to additionally protect against ammonia buildup. Since there is no filter, you have to be the filter. I was keeping a five gallon tank this way for a little bit as a quarantine, and it was a pita, but it was all right.

You have to decide if you can do the work, and if the risk to your living situation is worth it. It is another tank, filter or no filter, and a good bit of responsibility.

As far as fungus goes, that can take over a week to clear (at least IMO). You'll have to change the water in the hospital bucket a few times in the course of treatment.

is there any chance that when you get him past the fungus (if it's fungus) that he could go in your 29 gallon? Not ideal but if you want to keep him or can't find a good home for him, and if your signature line is still accurate I don't see any compatibility issues Any tetra can be nippy but you've got the candy canes in a nice big school so they might not bother the betta. If they do, then you'd have to get him out of there.
I've had similar stocking in my 30 at one time with a betta living there quite happily.
good luck with whatever you do

+1 to fishmommie.
get rid of the fungus and then try the 30 gallon tank.

i hear some people say, "i kept a goldfish in a bowl and it lived for a year."
they don't know how lucky they were and all goldfish live at least 15 years in proper conditions.
that is equal to saying my human lived in his closet for 5 years!

Often times your local aquarium will take a fish you cant take care of. A lot of people have good intentions when giving a gift as a pet, however it is a very personal decision that no one can make for you.

Myth: Male bettas only fight with other males; this aside, they are peaceful community fish.
Reality: Most male bettas will fight with anything that even remotely resembles another male in finnage or coloration. Some will attack any fish indiscriminately, regardless of its appearance. It is inherently risky to house bettas with other fish. Some bettas are too aggressive to be kept with any species, and many community species will damage the finnage of a betta. This species does best when kept solitarily due to its special environmental and social needs. However, community keeping is possible with careful monitoring and appropriate tankmates if the betta's personality permits. Communal housing should always be approached on a case by case, individual basis!

Myth: Bettas are completely unsuitable community fish and can only be housed solitarily.
Reality: While the safest way to keep bettas is solitarily for both the betta's sake and that of its would-be tank mates, it would be inaccurate to suggest that bettas can never be housed with other fish. Placid males and females can often be housed in a well-planted community tank with mellow, dully-colored fish, as well as some aquatic invertebrates or amphibians. Careful monitoring is demanded, and the positives and negatives of the housing situation should be thoroughly evaluated prior to mixing species, but the community betta is not an impossibility.

Last edited by Ms. Namazu; 07-18-2013 at 08:35 AM.

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